


The Meadow In The Mind

by Elkseqa



Series: Everything Is The Same But Rexsoka Is Canon [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Canon Compliant, Endor, F/M, Fluff, Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker, Happy Ending, Lothal, Minor Leia Organa/Han Solo, One Shot, Post-Battle of Endor, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:48:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24710323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elkseqa/pseuds/Elkseqa
Summary: As the ramp lowered and the feet of its single, cloaked passenger stepped onto Endor for the first time, Luke instinctively reached out with the Force to get a sense of their visitor. He recoiled as the stranger suddenly stopped, their hooded face snapping up to look directly at him. He caught a glimpse of long, striped lekku and a face contoured with white patterns, but none of that was the most surprising thing about her.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Ahsoka Tano
Series: Everything Is The Same But Rexsoka Is Canon [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779340
Comments: 10
Kudos: 160





	The Meadow In The Mind

If there wasn't so much more to be done, Luke thought he might have liked to stay on Endor. It was peaceful out here, quiet save for the chatter of the Ewoks and the forest creatures scuttling about. And everything was so _green_. He wasn't sure he could ever get tired of the sweet scent of petrichor after a rain shower, much like the one they'd had the night before. He inhaled deeply as the breeze rustled the leaves overhead and slipped easily into his morning meditation.

He remained very aware of the life surrounding him - the Ewoks in their huts, the members of the Rebellion going about their business, the birds darting in between the trees - so he of course felt the presence of someone approaching him before he even heard their footsteps. He allowed them to come closer without breaking his concentration, stretching out with his feelings to get some sort of idea for what they wanted from him. He could tell immediately that it wasn't any bad news. In fact, this person was practically radiating excitement.

Luke turned his head as his visitor stopped a few feet away. "What can I help you with?" he asked before the stranger could say anything. If he was caught off guard, the older gentleman behind him didn't show it.

"Luke Skywalker, correct?" the man asked, smiling wistfully.

"That's me," Luke replied, standing up and brushing off the handful of leaves that had settled over him while he was meditating.

The man held out his hand, and Luke shook it. "Commander Rex," he introduced himself. "It's a shame we haven't gotten the chance to meet before now."

Luke racked his brain. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Leia was the one who was better at remembering the different facets of the Rebellion. "Pheonix Squadron, right? You're with General Syndulla?"

"Yes, sir," he replied proudly. "I won't bother you for long; I can see you were busy. I just wanted to say that it's an honor to serve alongside a Skywalker once again."

"Again?" It took Luke another second to connect the dots before it finally hit him. His eyes went wide. "You knew my father during the Clone Wars?"

Rex nodded, beaming. "I was his third in command in the five-oh-first," he answered. "He was a good General, and a great friend. Probably the craziest man I ever knew." Rex chuckled at whatever memory he had conjured up. "I hear you take after him in more ways than one."

He knew Rex's gaze was on the lightsaber strapped to his belt, but he flexed his mechanical hand beside it unconsciously, his mood suddenly darkening. He still struggled sometimes to reconcile the man Anakin Skywalker had been with who Darth Vader had become, and the memories of what had happened on the second Death Star were still raw in his mind. If Rex noticed his discomfort, it didn't affect how wide he was smiling. _Rex doesn't know,_ Luke realized with a heart-wrenching jolt.

As he debated whether or not he should tell Rex the truth, Luke asked, "Am I keeping you from anything, Commander? If you don't mind, could you indulge me in a story or two?"

"Not at all!" Rex said enthusiastically. "Of course!" He and Luke took a seat together on a nearby log.

Through the years, it had been rare for Luke to run into anyone who knew Anakin Skywalker before the Empire, and they never described him in the way Rex did. Most everyone revered him as a hero of impossible caliber, but Rex painted a more complete picture of a man - a talented one, to be sure, but a very flawed one. He described countless occasions where his father had been entirely too reckless and how he had often whined about some unfair situation. Rex clearly held a lot of admiration for the Anakin he had known, but it was refreshing to finally hear from someone who hadn't been so blinded by that admiration that he lifted him up on a pedestal. Luke found himself laughing along at the insane stunts his father had pulled, some of them very much like his own, and he showered Rex with countless questions as the morning wore on.

"Last I saw him, he was heading off to save the Chancellor," Rex concluded. "He must have been on Coruscant when the Purge happened, when Vader raided the Jedi temple. Ahsoka and I always hoped he might have made it out, but well..."

At Rex's crestfallen expression, Luke cringed. While Leia had insisted they not be too liberal with the revelation of their heritage, Luke decided that if anyone deserved the truth, it was Rex. "Commander?" he began hesitantly.

"Just Rex, if you'd prefer," he said.

Luke nodded. "Rex, there's...there's something you should know." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Vader didn't kill my father." Rex's eyes widened in hopeful anticipation, and Luke almost reconsidered. But it was too late to go back now. "Vader _was_ my father."

Silence followed. Rex blinked slowly, not comprehending. "I'm afraid I don't understand, sir," he said after he'd had a moment to realize that Luke wasn't playing some cruel prank.

"Anakin Skywalker was corrupted by the Emperor and fell to the Dark Side," Luke explained. Rex started to shake his head. "He told me himself. I didn't want to believe it at first, but Ben, I mean Obi-Wan, confirmed it."

"Obi-Wan's alive?" Rex croaked, trying to find something, _anything_ to latch onto as his world was being shaken to its core.

Luke winced. "No. Vader..." He couldn't finish.

Tears rolled down Rex's weathered cheeks as he looked up at the sky, at where the second Death Star had once loomed overhead. "But that means...Obi-Wan and Ahsoka...he would never..."

Luke placed a hand on Rex's shoulder, wishing he could do more to ease his pain. Rex trembled beneath his fingers as he attempted to keep himself together, but Luke could feel the depths of his sorrow through the Force. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I just thought you deserved to know."

Rex took a long, deep breath. "No," he replied, his voice thick. "No. Thank you. I prefer it when people are straight with me. I'd much rather learn the truth, however painful it is, than continue living a lie."

Luke nodded and offered up a small smile. "He saved me, you know, at the end. Everyone thought he was lost to the Dark Side for good, but they were wrong. He's the one who killed the Emperor, not me, and sacrificed himself in the process. I know it doesn't excuse the horrible things he's done, but I saw that there was still that last spark of good left in him, of the man that everybody loved so much."

"Yeah, that sounds like him, alright," Rex chuckled through his tears. "A daring, dramatic, last-minute rescue. Figures." 

"I suppose it does," Luke agreed. "Are you going to be alright, Rex?"

"It's a lot to think about," Rex admitted, "but yeah, kid. I'll be alright.

"If it's any consolation, you're taking this a _lot_ better than I did," Luke told him.

"Oh, yeah?"

Luke grinned sheepishly. "I might have...thrownmyselfdownaventilationshaft." His face went warm as he rushed his confession. It all seemed so melodramatic now.

Rex shook his head and laughed, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "Damn Skywalkers."

They were quiet for a little while longer, both morning the loss of someone they held dear. Finally, Rex said, "I know I disturbed your meditation, earlier, but would you mind if I joined you? I'm afraid I've gotten out of the habit in recent years."

"Not at all, Rex." Luke smiled, and they both settled into similar positions and closed their eyes. Even though Rex was not strong in the Force, Luke could still sense how his mind quieted during this exercise. He was at peace for once, existing not for all of the questions that loomed over him but for the simple act of breathing and being, almost as much a part of the forest surrounding them as the log they were sitting on. Luke withdrew his own feelings from Rex and fell into a similar state himself, not wanting to disturb the man any further.

After a while, Rex's commlink chimed. "Commander, we have an unidentified ship landing at base," the voice on the other end said.

Rex rolled his eyes. "Why did you let them through if they were unidentified?"

"They were transmitting old Fulcrum codes. General Syndulla is out scouting, so we'd like you to come greet it."

Rex's brow furrowed, and his hand went to the blaster strapped to his hip. "How strange," he muttered.

Luke could sense his confusion and concern through the Force and stood with him, stretching out his stiff muscles. "May I come with you?"

"Of course, sir." They walked back together towards the makeshift camp that the Rebellion had set up around the former Imperial base. They arrived just as the ship was landing in a wide clearing. It was nothing remarkable, not outwardly Imperial, and it wasn't in too great a shape. It looked just like any junky shuttle one could pick up on just about every run-down trading post in the outer rim.

As the ramp lowered and the feet of its single, cloaked passenger stepped onto Endor for the first time, Luke instinctively reached out with the Force to get a sense of their visitor. He recoiled as the stranger suddenly stopped, their hooded face snapping up to look directly at him. He caught a glimpse of long, striped lekku and a face contoured with white patterns, but none of that was the most surprising thing about her. _She's Force Sensitive_ , he realized with a jolt. He felt her tentatively stretch out her feelings as well, only barely brushing against him before pulling away just as quickly as he had in shock. Slowly, she lowered her hood to look at him better, revealing towering montrals.

Luke turned to Rex to try and gauge his thoughts on their visitor, but he was no longer beside him. Rex was rushing forward, calling out to them, his voice tight with a strange mixture of anger, disbelief, and above all joy. "Ahsoka- _kriffing_ -Tano!"

The stranger, Ahsoka, apparently, stepped back in surprise as Rex approached her, but she did not run. She let him run towards her, stopping just shy of a foot away to take in the sight of her. Both of them were speechless, staring at each other with wide eyes, before all of Rex's energy seemed to leave him, and he almost collapsed forward, throwing his arms around her and clinging to her desperately, as if she might suddenly vanish. "You're alive!" he sobbed. "We all thought you were...I can't believe you're still alive!"

Shaking, Ahsoka brought her arms up to wrap them around Rex, tears streaming down her face. Whatever tentative stability they had suddenly vanished, and they both sank to the forest floor, crying into each other's shoulders. "I couldn't leave him," she wailed, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. "I wanted to go but _I couldn't leave him_."

If Rex heard her, he barely showed it, only shaking his head and shushing her, not even bothering to ask who "him" was. Luke hovered awkwardly on the sidelines, not entirely sure what was going on. He remembered Rex mentioning an Ahsoka just earlier that morning, but he hadn't elaborated on who exactly she had been.

Just then, two more people rushed passed him. Hera Syndulla burst into the clearing, dragging along little Jacen by the hand. "Why did nobody tell me?" She, too, sounded angry, like Rex had been at first, but she immediately slumped down to embrace the two of them, crying, as well.

Luke reached out to Leia through the Force. If Ahsoka had used old Fulcrum codes to gain permission to land, Leia might have some idea of who she was. She had been a part of the Rebellion much longer than he had, after all. He felt her reach back groggily, their connection still shaky from Leia's relative inexperience with the Force. Luke prodded her, wondering what she was still doing asleep at this hour. That wasn't like Leia at all. She refused to answer, a flash of irritation coloring their bond. Now, that was more like her.

After a moment, Ahsoka raised her head to look at Jacen, who looked just as baffled as Luke felt. She smiled at him before looking at Hera with watery eyes. "Is he...?" Hera nodded. Then, Ahsoka's face fell. "Hera, I'm so sorry about Kanan."

At this, Hera stepped back. "How did you...?"

Ahsoka didn't get a chance to answer. When she opened her mouth to reply, an electronic screech cut her off, and R2-D2 wheeled frantically into the clearing. "Artooie?" she cried, leaping to her feet. Rex followed her, their fingers still laced tightly together. R2 bumped repeatedly into her legs, beeping excitedly. "What are _you_ doing here?"

 _Leia!_ Luke shouted through the Force, far more urgently. Things were getting too strange for him to handle on his own. He had never seen R2 react like this around anyone. Still annoyed, Leia signaled back that she was on her way.

When Luke brought his attention back to the scene before him, he found that all eyes were on him, and Ahsoka especially was watching him with a strange intensity. R2 beeped a reply to her that amounted to something like, "Because of him."

Hera took Jacen's hand again, Ahsoka and Rex wiped at their tears, and the whole group finally approached him, R2 at the lead. "Sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Ahsoka Tano. I was the first Fulcrum for the Rebellion," she explained.

Before Luke could introduce himself, Rex cut in enthusiastically. "Ahsoka, this is Luke. Luke _Skywalker_."

Ahsoka's jaw dropped, and Luke's face went warm from the attention. He wondered how many more people he would meet today that knew his father. "As in..." She trailed off, hesitant to finish her assumption, and glanced back at Rex.

"As in Anakin Skywalker," Luke concluded for her, "my father."

Ahsoka beamed at him and took his hand in both of hers. "I can't believe it! You have no idea how happy I am to meet you! I was your father's Padawan," she said.

"Pada-what now?"

"Apprentice," Ahsoka clarified. "It's the Jedi word for an apprentice."

"Ah. Ben and Yoda never told me that," Luke said.

Both Rex and Ahsoka gaped at him. "Yoda's alive?!" they shouted at the same time.

Luke looked away awkwardly. "Er, no." Then remembering his conversation with Rex earlier, he added, "Neither is Obi-Wan."

"Vader," Rex told Ahsoka in explanation.

"Actually, I think Yoda just died of old age," Luke told them, but Ahsoka was hardly listening anymore. Her expression had suddenly darkened, and Luke got the feeling he knew why.

Ahsoka turned to Rex, casting uncertain glances back at Luke. "Rex, there's something you should know about Vader. About Anakin," she said, straining against a fresh wave of tears.

"I know," Rex told her before she could say anything else.

"You know?"

"The kid told me," he said, nodding at Luke.

" _You_ know?" Ahsoka looked back at him, surprised.

Luke nodded. "Wait, how do _you_ know?" Rex asked Ahsoka.

"Malachor," she replied. "I suspected it for a while, but I didn't know for sure until Malachor. That's why I couldn't leave, Rex. Not again." She shook her head and looked down, as if ashamed, but Rex tilted her face back up and wiped at her tears.

"I know," he said softly.

Leia entered the clearing then, followed shortly after by Han. They were together more often than not these days, and Luke suddenly had a much better idea of why Leia might have been annoyed at his intrusion. She took in the sight of everyone in the clearing - of Luke's awkwardness, of Hera's confusion, of R2's excitement, of the tear streaked faces of Rex and Ahsoka - and she marched right up to Ahsoka. Sticking her hand out with a diplomatic smile that even Luke hadn't learned to decipher, she greeted, "You must be the famous Ahsoka Tano. The whole base has already heard of your arrival, it seems. I'm Leia Organa."

Ahsoka shook her hand warmly but was studying her face. "And you must be Bail's daughter. I knew your father. He was a great friend to me. I'm sorry for his loss."

Leia shared a glance with Luke, sending a brief impression of a question through the Force. She had been waiting at the edges of the clearing, it seemed, listening in for as long as she dared. She was never one to walk into any situation unprepared, and though she had known who Ahsoka was, she didn't know that much about her. Luke nodded, sending back an affirmation that she had, in fact, known about Vader. "Thank you. It seems you knew a lot of people," she said carefully, immediately distrustful of anyone with any ties to their father.

"Yes, I did." Ahsoka's voice was far away, but her eyes were intensely focused on Leia, with the occasional glance at Luke. Luke could feel her reaching out with the Force again, wrapping around the two of them and testing out the space between them. Leia felt it, even if she wasn't consciously aware of it, and she eyed Ahsoka skeptically in return.

"Is something wrong?" she asked suspiciously.

"No," Ahsoka shook her head, as if trying to shake something off. "It's just that you look so much like..."

She hadn't even finished before Rex performed a spectacular double take and stepped back in shock. "Force, you're right!"

Ahsoka abruptly drew back in the Force, seeming to have confirmed her suspicions. "Twins?!" she cried out. "Anakin and Padme had _twins?!_ "

Leia suddenly tensed up, and in response, Han's hand flew towards his blaster. Instinctively, Rex and Ahsoka stepped back into a similar defensive position. "What did you say?" Leia hissed.

"Sorry, I never meant...did you not know?" Ahsoka stammered.

Luke positioned himself between both parties, hoping to defuse the tension. "No, we knew," he told her. His eyes darted around nervously to the other few people standing in the clearing and decided they posed no danger. "We're just..." he fumbled for the right word, "surprised someone else figured it out so quickly. Not even Vader..."

"I see," Ahsoka said, placing a reassuring hand on Rex as they both calmed down. Han and Leia settled, as well, but Leia still seemed cagey, looking as if she wanted to be anywhere but in that clearing. It took a lot to rattle Leia, but the revelation of who Vader was to her was still a raw wound, especially after all she had suffered at his hand.

"If you don't mind, we'd prefer to keep this information between us," Luke said, meeting the eyes of everyone in the clearing.

"We understand," Rex answered for all of them.

Leia took a deep breath and tried to resume a normal conversation. "All that aside, I'm glad to see you here safe and sound. You've been presumed dead for well over five years now."

"How did you survive Malachor?" Hera chimed in, finally latching onto a part of the conversation she could understand.

"Didn't Ezra tell you?" Ahsoka asked.

"Ezra?"

"He's the one who saved me," she explained. "Right before the temple collapsed, he pulled me out into the World Between Worlds. I had to go back the way I came, though, and I promised Ezra I'd come find him when I got out. Time works a bit differently there, however, and I couldn't tell how much time had passed when I returned. I had to spend several months scavenging for parts just to patch up the Inquisitors' ship to get off that Force-forsaken rock before I could even think about finding my way back. Then I felt a large disturbance in the Force coming from here, and I figured that was as good a place to start as any."

"I'm afraid Ezra never got the chance," Rex told her gently.

Ahsoka's face fell. "Where is Ezra? He can't be dead!"

"No!" Hera answered quickly. "At least, we don't think so."

"You've missed a lot," Rex said.

Ahsoka looked around at the strange crew surrounding her in the clearing. "So I've heard," she said with a sad excuse for a laugh.

Luke felt Leia's hand on his shoulder. "Let's leave them be for a moment," Leia said, and Luke agreed, no longer able to follow the conversation anyway. He, Leia, and Han all returned to the main base, leaving what was left of the old Spectre Cell to catch up on old times.

Later that night, they held a party with the Ewoks to celebrate Ahsoka's return. It wasn't as large as the previous one, but everyone was still in high spirits, laughing and feasting on local delicacies. Ahsoka took great pleasure in seeing how the Ewoks worshiped Threepio as a god, but despite her countless assurances that they used to know each other, Threepio didn't seem to remember her.

It didn't escape Luke's notice that Rex hadn't left her side since the clearing, nor did the fact that their eyes were still red and watery when they had come back to base. Whatever she had been told about the fate of the Ezra that they'd spoken of, it had clearly affected her. Eventually, their mood brightened with the celebration, and together, the two of them regaled Luke with old war stories of the clones and of not just Anakin's misadventures, but Obi-Wan's, as well. The party wore on well into the night, and only when Ahsoka could hardly speak without yawning and couldn't resist resting her head on Rex's shoulder did the three of them call it a night. Han and Leia had already retired, as had most of the others, apart from the few left around the fire, slurring their conversations from too much drink.

Luke laid down in his tent that night, eyes trained on where the stars would be if not for the canvas roof. He closed his eyes, and it seemed that almost immediately he opened them to see that starry sky not only above him, but all around him. He took a tentative breath and found that he thankfully hadn't somehow floated off into space in his sleep. He stood, which should have been impossible since there was nothing he could conceivably be standing on, and stretched out with his feelings. He almost regretted it, as he was immediately flooded with the almost deafening strength of the Force surrounding him, and if he had to guess, this entire place in which he had found himself was constructed completely of the Force, or was, at least, a convergence point of it.

There were whispers, too, coming from all directions, and Luke had the distinct impression that they were coming from the stars, if that's what they even were. He strained his ears, trying to pick up what they were saying. Some sounded closer to him, and he could almost make them out, but others were too far out of his reach.

Then one voice emerged above the rest, crystal clear and coming from behind him. "Hello, Luke." He spun around to see a man, transparent and casting a hazy blue glow. He was tall, clad in dark robes, but despite his imposing appearance, the man carried himself in such a laid back manner that it put anyone facing him at ease. He had shockingly blue eyes eerily similar to Luke's own, and his long, unruly dark hair reminded him of Leia's when she removed her braids.

"Father?" he asked hesitantly. He had seen him manifest after the Battle of Endor, but his appearance had been brief enough that Luke felt the need to make sure.

Anakin nodded in confirmation. "I see you've met Snips, er, Ahsoka." When Luke nodded, he asked, "How is she?"

"You don't know?" By all accounts, his father should have become one with the Cosmic Force and should therefore be aware of far more than Luke could ever hope to comprehend in his lifetime.

"I do, but it's different seeing how someone is living than knowing how they are feeling," he admitted. "And I'd never wish to intrude upon her mind like that."

"Why don't you ask her, then?" Luke wondered.

Anakin shook his head, his eyes growing sad. "No, it's too soon. I can feel her trying to reach out to me again, but I'm not ready, son. There's too much that I have to atone for." He sighed, "And yet even after all I've done, I consider what happened to Ahsoka to be one of my greatest failures."

Luke wished he could reach out to his father, if not to console him, then to understand him. There were so many mysteries surrounding the myth that was Anakin Skywalker, many of which Luke knew he had no way of knowing now that he had passed. "Father..." he began, but he couldn't find any other words.

"Luke, don't concern yourself with what happened in my past. It is not your job to right my wrongs," Anakin said, as if reading his mind. "The truth is that I failed as Ahsoka's Master, and I accept that now. But even after all of that, she still believed in me, much like you did, in fact. I only wish that I had listened to her then."

"Then tell her that," Luke insisted.

"One day," Anakin murmured. "One day I'll reach back for her. She probably won't feel me as easily as you do, but it should be enough for me to tell her that I'm sorry, even if that's all I can do now. But not yet. Not today. She has a mission before her now, and it'll be easier to speak once she has settled down after."

"A mission? What-"

Anakin held up a hand, and Luke bit back his tongue. He knew from personal experience that no matter how many questions the Force presented you with, it was very reluctant to give immediate answers. "You'll find out before too long," Anakin promised.

Luke took a deep breath and silenced the questions buzzing in his mind. "She's well," he said. "To answer your question earlier, she seems very happy, and everyone was happy to see her, even R2. She and Rex haven't separated since she landed."

"I doubt he'll ever let her out of his sight again after this," Anakin chuckled. "I'm glad they're together again. They're good for each other, I think." He looked back at Luke, his eyes shining. "Thank you, son. You're kinder to me than I deserve." At this, he started to fade away, and Luke couldn't completely swallow the panic that arose in him suddenly.

"Will I see you again?" he blurted out.

Anakin thought upon this for a moment. "When I'm needed," he replied vaguely.

"Were you needed now?"

Anakin only offered a cryptic smile until he vanished, the stars all around extinguishing into darkness. Luke opened his eyes then and sat up straight in his tent. It was morning, and sunlight illuminated the canvas all around him.

He stretched out with his feelings and found Ahsoka almost immediately, and after quickly dressing, he sprinted in her direction. He recognized the path he was heading down, and it didn't surprise him at all to find her sitting alone in a secluded clearing. Her eyes were closed, her hands pressed against a barely noticeable disturbed section of dirt below a simple stone marker. Respectfully, he slowed his pace and stayed back to give her some privacy, but she turned her head and nodded as he approached, her eyes sad. "Good morning, Luke," she said tiredly, sounding almost as though she hadn't slept.

Luke stepped forward and sat down beside her. "I thought you might find your way here, eventually," he said. "Has Rex had a chance to come by?"

"No," she answered. "I came out here after he fell asleep. He's been through so much that I didn't want to bother him, but I couldn't rest until I saw."

"I built him a pyre. That's the proper Jedi funeral, yes?" When Ahsoka nodded, he continued, "There were parts that wouldn't burn, though, so I buried them here."

Ahsoka stared straight ahead at the stone, unmarked in case anyone unsavory came looking. "I felt it when he died, you know," she sighed. "That was the disturbance that drew me here. He went out like a supernova. Typical." She snorted despite her stray tears. "It was definitely him, though, not Vader, that I felt. It was Anakin, in the end."

She turned towards Luke with a sad smile. "Rex told me that he saved you, but I think it was the other way around. I couldn't be the one to save him, but I'm glad you did. Thank you."

Luke shifted awkwardly, unsure of the proper response. "I only wish I could have done more."

"I know what you mean, but concerning yourself with "what-ifs" is no way to live a life, and I should know." Ahsoka shook her head. "And yet, I came out here to see if I might feel him again, just one last time. Maybe even get some answers. But he's quiet. I suppose I should be relieved to know that he's finally at peace, but I can't help but be sad that he's really, truly gone."

Luke's heart ached for her, and he couldn't help but feel his father was being a little selfish in keeping from her. He understood why, for the most part, but he still didn't entirely approve. "He called you Snips," he said, after a moment.

"What?" Ahsoka's head snapped up.

"Father, he used to call you Snips, right?"

"Yes. Yes, he did," she replied, blinking back tears. "You spoke to him?" Luke nodded. "What else did he say?"

"He said that he wishes he had listened to you," Luke said, and this drew out a laugh from Ahsoka. "And that he'll talk to you soon, but not now. He said you had a mission?"

Ahsoka stood finally, and Luke followed her. "Well, he's right about that. Rex and I will be leaving for Lothal tomorrow," she said.

"So soon?" Luke asked, crestfallen.

"Ezra's still out there; I'm sure of it. I told him that I would come find him, and I intend to keep that promise." Noticing his frown, she elbowed him playfully. "Don't look so sad, Little Skyguy. I'm sure we'll cross paths again."

As they walked back to base together, Luke admitted, "I guess I was just hoping you might stick around for a while. My Jedi training has been...spotty, to say the least. There's so much more I could learn from you."

Ahsoka stopped and placed both hands on his shoulders. "Luke, trust me. You are already more of a Jedi than I could ever be," she assured him. Before he could ask her to elaborate, she was already walking ahead of him on the trail. "Now, come on! Better get back before Rex realizes I'm missing."

Rex realized, alright, and the two of them were properly scolded upon reaching base (even Luke wasn't exempt from Rex's frustration). Despite promises to bring him by Anakin's grave later that day, Rex continued fussing over Ahsoka, who didn't really seem to mind all that much. Leia saw to it that the two of them were given a more reliable ship to leave on, and they spent the rest of the day gathering supplies and fueling up for their journey. Tearful goodbyes were said the next morning (thankfully not as tearful as the reunions), and before Luke knew it, they were gone.

He felt oddly hollow after their absence, despite only really knowing them for a day or two. They were his last links to the Jedi, to his Father, that he knew existed, and without anything left to connect him to his past, he felt lost as to how to move forward.

He shuffled back to base, finding Leia and Han bickering over something involving the Falcon. Chewbacca stuck his head out of the ship to interject every so often, and Han would snip out a reply and return to Leia without missing a beat. Threepio appeared to be trying to keep the peace, while Artoo was egging all of them on. Luke smiled at the scene.

Yoda had once said he spent too much time looking to the future instead of at what was right in front of him, and Ahsoka had told him not to keep worrying about "what-if's." Perhaps both of them had a point. While the future of the Jedi Order still weighed heavily on his shoulders, as did his father's mistakes, what happened next was in his hands here, in this moment. And he knew that he would not be alone.

* * *

Luke sailed his ship over the sweeping meadows of Lothal, weaving between the large stones dotting the landscape just for a little fun. He spotted the _Ghost_ in the distance, and brought his X-wing down beside it. Jacen Syndulla ran out of the house perched atop a nearby hill, waving enthusiastically as Luke stepped out. It was the kid's birthday, and if Luke's senses could be believed, he had grown fairly strong in the Force. Luke was sure Hera knew, since he couldn't figure out exactly why else he had been invited to celebrate.

He had been considering taking on some Force Sensitive younglings for a while, now, the beginnings of a new Jedi Order, and his resolve had only grown stronger since the birth of his nephew. He wondered if Hera would be open to the idea of training Jacen, but he had other reasons for coming, as well. Despite all that he had learned over the years, Luke knew that his knowledge of the Force and of the Jedi was woefully incomplete. The trainees would need other teachers, and he hoped Ahsoka might consider helping him.

Hera emerged after Jacen, greeting Luke as he approached. "I'm glad you could make it all the way out here," she told him.

"How could I miss out on this big guy's birthday?" he said, winking at Jacen. "Leia and Han send their regards, but the New Republic and Ben are keeping them both on their toes these days." That, and Leia was still anxious around Ahsoka. She didn't like not being the one with all the answers, and Ahsoka knew too much about her while remaining a mystery herself for Leia's comfort.

Hera shook her head. "I don't envy them. Please, come inside. The kids are playing out back, but we're all eating inside." She sent Jacen back to play with his friends before leading Luke into the house.

The house wasn't too large, but it was plenty of room for a small gathering. The living and dining area appeared to be one and the same, connected to a modest kitchen. Shelves lined the walls, decorated with knicknacks from all across the galaxy and staticky holo displays of a time before Luke was born. Four people gathered around a table laden with food, two of which Luke recognized as Rex and Ahsoka. The others were strangers to him, but not for very long.

The man, who appeared to be about Luke's age, stood and introduced himself. "I'm Ezra. Ezra Bridger. And this is Sabine." He gestured to the woman beside him. "I've heard a lot about you. It's an honor to finally meet you."

Luke shook Ezra's hand enthusiastically. "Same to you." Ezra, too, was of interest to Luke as a potential teacher, having had years of formal training as an official Padawan.

"No, seriously," Sabine added, rolling her eyes. "He hasn't been able to shut up about you all day. Enough to make a girl jealous." She teasingly punched Ezra in the shoulder while he blushed.

"Have a seat," Hera said, pulling up a chair. "I'll be right back. Just gotta make sure the party has enough sugar that the kids'll crash all night long."

Luke proposed his idea for a new Jedi school over dinner. Ezra seemed extremely enthusiastic about the idea, practically volunteering his help before Luke could even offer. Ahsoka, however, remained reluctant.

"I'm sorry, Luke, but I'm not a Jedi," she insisted. "And even if I was, I'm definitely retired." Ahsoka laced her fingers with Rex's, who nodded along firmly.

"Can you even do that?" Ezra asked around a mouthful of food, earning him an elbow from Sabine.

"Even so, someone with your knowledge of the Force would be a large help," Luke said. "Please say you'll consider it, at least?"

"Come on, Ahsoka! It'll be fun!" Ezra added.

Ahsoka looked away under their expectant gazes. She took a deep breath before answering, "I'll think about it, but I won't promise anything."

After that, Luke let the subject drop, apart from Ezra's questions on who should be taught and where the school should be built and how to structure the lessons, his mind running a million miles a minute and thinking farther than Luke had in entertaining the idea. Yes, he would be a great help in the school. Apart from that, the conversation drifted to the fascinating story of how Sabine, Rex, and Ahsoka had managed to hunt down Ezra in wild space.

After the party dispersed and Jacen had finally crashed from an excess of cake, he and Hera retired to the spare room that Rex and Ahsoka kept in case of guests. Ezra and Sabine left next, mounting speeders to head back to their residence towards the city. "We'll be in touch!" Ezra called over his shoulder as they shrank into the horizon. Luke took this as his cue to leave, but Ahsoka stopped him at the doorway.

"One last thing," she said, darting back inside and grabbing a small cube hidden in the back of one of the shelves. She returned shortly after, Rex at her side, and pressed it into Luke's palm.

"A Jedi holocron!" he gasped, turning it over in his hands.

"It should help with the training," she explained. "It contains a few demonstrations on lightsaber forms and techniques."

Luke nodded, understanding that this was Ahsoka's way of offering help without wanting to get involved. "Are you sure you want to part with this? These are very rare."

"I'm sure." Ahsoka and Rex shared a glance. "We don't have any need to open it these days."

She nodded at Luke, and using the Force, he opened the holocron. Suddenly, in between the three of them, Anakin Skywalker appeared, just as he had all those years ago. He appeared vibrant and happy, the man Luke had grown up hearing stories about. He shut it down, feeling tears sting at his eyes. "Thank you," he breathed.

He stuck the holocron in his pocket, giving all of them a chance to collect themselves. "You have a lovely home," he told the two of them, getting back to the normal farewells.

"You're welcome to visit anytime, Kid," Rex said.

Luke nodded in appreciation. "See you around," he said with a wave.

Ahsoka opened her mouth to respond, but she hesitated, her eyes drifting just over his shoulder. Luke turned to look back, and thought he caught a glimpse of a smiling, blue tinged figure, with wild dark hair and bright blue eyes. He and Ahsoka locked eyes and smiled, while Rex shrugged off whatever they had seen, mumbling about Jedi nonsense. "See you around, Skyguy," she said at last.

Luke looked down at Rex and Ahsoka as he rose into the air in his X-wing. They held each other in a tight embrace against the night chill, waving at him with their free hands. Then, they watched as he disappeared among the stars.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaaand done! For now. Enjoy!  
> *scuttles back into the cave from whence I came*


End file.
